Shortly after the suspension of J S Naik, the jail superintendent who approved the parole of Sajjad Mughal – convicted for the murder of Wadala-based lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha – the Maharashtra government reached out to the Jammu and Kashmir state government to help them locate and arrest Mughal.
At the time, the main fear was of Mughal slipping into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, after which catching him would be nearly impossible. Mughal was granted parole in February to visit his ailing mother in Baramulla; it was discovered in June that he had skipped parole, never visited his mother and was missing.
Also Read: Purkayastha Murder: Jailer Suspended For Granting Killer’s Parole
The Baramulla police reverted with local intelligence which claims that Mughal called his family in Baramulla on 29 June. In the two-minute phone conversation traced back to Mumbai, Mughal told his uncle to ask the police to stop “harassing” his family, and that he would “surrender in a day or two.”
Though Nashik Police Commissioner S Jagannathan told The Indian Express that he knew of no such development, the Baramulla police confirmed that on calling back on the cellphone number from which Mughal called, someone else in Mumbai picked up; Mughal had apparently borrowed someone’s phone to make a quick call.
Two Years After Draft Proposal, Parole Reforms Being Taken Seriously
Following the uproar caused by Mughal, a murderer convicted to life imprisonment skipping parole, the Maharashtra Prisons department is finally looking at the changes that need to be made to parole laws. Two years ago, they had submitted a proposal for reforms to the state home department, which were overlooked; how much bearing these lax laws had on Mughal’s escape, is a matter of dark speculation.
The new laws give parole granting powers to only DIG rank inspectors, instead of Divisional Commissioners who are essentially IAS officers from different departments that may or may not have anything to do with the case. Additionally, the DIG will have to take this decision in consultation with the public prosecutor who dealt with the criminal seeking parole.
The default parole period also stands to be halved, reduced to 45 days from 90 days. However, a senior government officer in the Prisons Department told DNA that parole period will be decided on a case-to-case basis at the time of approval, and will be non-extendable under all and any circumstances.
The Prisons department is also mulling over granting parole to prisoners based on the seriousness of the crime, wherein rapists and murderers are not granted parole at all. The new laws suggest the convict be handed over to the person applying for the bail directly, and that the surety amount be increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
Also Read: Out on Bail For Only Rs 7,000, Wadala Lawyer Killer Goes ‘Missing’
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